Heaven might hurt a bit...

Yes, I am still reading Love Wins which is making me write all this stuff. None the less, here we go again.

We talk about Heaven as if we will be so much different when we get there. We say, "When you get to Heaven, you won't care about that." I pray that being in the presence of all that is good, true, and love will make me no longer long for what is rich, lust, and full of worldly pleasure. But what if that's not the case? What if you don't have a change of heart right when you die? What if you die and still feel exactly the same except you are not faced 100 percent with the your evil and selfish self?

If that were the case, Heaven would probably be more painful than joyful. But isn't being real always better than being fake? Think about when you have repressed pain. Once you finally embrace the pain and have that real hard cry, you know the one that Dane Cook talks about http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVrW3zat2To (not for the faint hearted), it feels good. Yes, your heart hurts, but it's like being able to see for the first time. There is a birth to your healing which comes at the death of your denial.

Jesus allows us to die now. We can birth our healing at the moment we let the pain die. If we still love choosing ourselves right now, why would we suddenly no longer want to constantly satisfy ourselves after we die? Might as well start preparing now, because Heaven could be a very rude awakening.

Eternity Can Begin Now

The Perry Bible Fellowship is a hilarious online comic. The fact that they have the word Bible in their name and this comic is about Heaven is purely coincidental as religion is rarely a theme in their comics.

I am currently reading "Love Wins" by Rob Bell. The recent chapter on Heaven has had me asking serious questions already. I think that I will have to read this book twice in order to really grasp all of the concepts. But as I was reading the book last night, I remembered this comic. It still makes me laugh but I think there is a ton of truth to this comic.

We have this idea that Heaven is a far away floaty place where things don't exist there as they do on Earth. Is there really no billiards table in Heaven? Do people play the piano in Heaven or do we only play harps? Can I play basketball in Heaven? I like basketball, I want to keep playing it even after I die. If God responded to me, "Do you really need to play basketball?" I would probably mutter, "this sucks."

Does Heaven begin here and now? Does Hell begin here and now? Do we still have to work in Heaven? Where did we come up with the concept that we suddenly know everything once we get to Heaven? Where did we come up with the concept that we don't care about certain things once we get to Heaven (such as why people we love might not be there, how the Earth came into existence)? Do we still eat in Heaven? Do we sleep in Heaven? God created those things to be pleasing, I feel like we would still do those things. If we do eat in Heaven can you eat food that is terrible for you?

I don't necessarily have answers to these questions. But I do like to ask them.

Maricela

*Break from the story to tell this one*

Yesterday my roommate came home declaring that he had seen a “Bum Shift Change” earlier that day. The story he proceeded to tell me only confirmed what I thought this meant. He had seen a dude standing on a street corner holding a sign that says “Anything Helps.” A white truck then pulled up, another dude got out of the car and they exchanged the sign for the keys. The previous guy on the corner then drove off in the car and the dude who had pulled up was now holding a sign saying “Anything Helps.”

We hear a lot of stories about the needy just looking for free hand outs or not really wanting to help themselves. And to be honest, I haven’t yet decided where I stand on the issue of handing out money to people. Brian Fikkert says that when we give money to those on the streets we are just enabling bad habits, which I agree with. However, Shane Claibourne says that when it comes to people asking for money, we should error on the side of grace rather than the side of judgement and that we don’t ask car salesmen what they are going to be spending their money on, which I also agree with. At this time, I have no resolve for the discussed problem, but I do have a short story!

This is Maricela (yes I did creepily take this picture this morning on my phone while pretending to text). She stands at the corner of 15th and Court and sells breakfast burritos every morning. They cost $2.50 and come with with egg, cheese, potato, and your choice of meat. She is always smiling and happy to take your order (even though from the time you order to the time you are eating the burrito is about 30 seconds).

It is obvious that Maricela does not have much money, but she is doing something about it. Perhaps it might be difficult for her to get a job in an office making a lot of money but she understands that making some money every morning is better than nothing. Honestly, she’s probably making more an hour then I am at the rate she sells these things. I think she is in the middle of a transaction every time I walk by. But she’s not asking for any handouts. People need breakfast every morning and the biggest reason I buy burritos from her is because it’s fast and easy. And she treats her customers with love. She knows that I always get egg, cheese, and potato with a strip of green chili sauce inside. She remembers me every day and says hi to me whether I buy a burrito or not. She doesn’t remember my name but some people at work still call me Colton, so I don’t fault her for that.

Take note of the people you encounter throughout the day who are trying to make it for themselves. And if you work downtown, you should try to make it by 15th and Court for a breakfast burrito. I’ve grown quite fond of them!